Hack your car for 100 mpg!
polycounter lvl 18
no shit, but you need a prius, this is nuts, i was in the market for a car too. i think with the kit this would be more than worth it. fuck you gas prices!!
http://money.cnn.com/magazines/business2/business2_archive/2006/07/01/8380233/index.htm
http://money.cnn.com/magazines/business2/business2_archive/2006/07/01/8380233/index.htm
Replies
Looks nice, but it looks like it doesn't have enough leg room, I need a car that I have plenty of legroom in. I'm in the market for a car too, I'm going for a police car-esque lumina or lesabre.
Shepeiro, hybrids do generate their own power from braking, but that's not enough stored energy to run off of the batteries for most of the time. Highway travel - where you don't use the brakes much - leads to fuel efficiency similar to gas-only cars. Since hybrids cost more, if you don't do much city driving they don't make much sense for most people.
I think that's one reason car makers haven't offered plug-in-hybrids before - there would be a misconception that you would have to plug them in or they would run out of power.
eat more curry
The way the Prius mod works is, they install additional batteries that you have to plug in at night. The original batteries (that come with the vehicle), stay charged through driving. The mod kit then adjusts the vehicle's engine control module to make the electric motor run longer before switching to gas mode. They use the Prius because it's the only vehicle they've successfully hacked. The other systems are too complex.
ebagg: don't be thrown off by the appearance. I haven't sat in one yet, but many foreign manufacturers are really good with their interior ergonomics. They tend to look small outside, but have plenty of leg room inside. I'm 6'5" and most people are always surprised to see me step out of my Jetta, but honestly, I have to move the seat up a notch or two to feel comfortable.
From what I've heard, diesel cars (not pickups/heavy trucks) are running into political obstacles on the import side of things. Need to do some research.
I'm planning on getting a diesel pickup (Dodge 2500) because my bro-in-law and his trucker buddies are making 20% diesel/80% biodiesel mixture out of used potato chip factory oil for $1.50/gallon. I'm getting the Dodge because 2003 and later models don't require much modification to biodiesel (less than $1K for the mod) The only reason they mix in the petroleum diesel is because the feds tax the FUCK out of biodiesel. If you put the diesel in the tank first, then the potato chip oil, the oil is considered an additive and isn't taxed. Plus it smells like potato chips coming out your tailpipe
normal feul is more expensive to produce than bio fuel made from rape seed, i dont know about the states, but farmers in the UK are in trouble, and we have large amounts of un-used grain, etc.
i cant wait for cheese injection
Really realistic tech for this is right around the corner. A lot of major companies have idiot proof, low(er) cost solar cells in the works. Once enough people are feeding into the grid, it will become stupid not to run your car off of it in some way. I suspect either like the Prius here, or alternately using that energy to break water into hydrogen for upcoming hydrogen technologies.
bio fuels are the way forward.
normal feul is more expensive to produce than bio fuel made from rape seed, i dont know about the states, but farmers in the UK are in trouble, and we have large amounts of un-used grain, etc.
i cant wait for cheese injection
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Here in Texas, tons of people have diesel trucks, and so diesel fuel is available at well over 95% of the gas stations. Unfortunately, there's only 2 ethanol stations all the way from San Antonio to Austin. Fortunately, there's plenty of Mexican Food restaurants that will give you free biodiesel every day
Usually, you can find a VW or Mercedes diesel car from the 90s for very cheap here... I guess no one likes to warm up their cars?
Me, I just bike commute half of the time anyway. I'm trying to work my way up to a bus commute to work, then a 7 mile jog home once a week as well. Other than that, with 20 odd pubs within walking distance to my house, I have little use for my car anyway.